BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer
Bamm Hollow, (l-r) Michael Massa, Darren Gage, Joe Magrino and Frank Ulatowski, is scheduled to play at the Cue and Brew, Aberdeen, Feb. 26, and at the Brighton Bar, Long Branch, March 4. Bamm Hollow doesn’t need to dress up for the stage in order to play rock music. The band, Michael Massa, Red Bank, Joe Magrino, Tinton Falls, Frank Ulatowski, Englishtown, and Darren Gage, Bloomfield, said the thing that sets them apart is their style, or lack thereof.
“We are who we are. So what you see and hear with our band is exactly what you’re getting,” Massa said.
The band members describe their music as being a mix between Live, Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Massa, 28, vocals and guitar, and Magrino, 28, lead guitar, are the original members of the band that began in 1993. It started when Massa’s broken heart inspired him to write song lyrics and then Magrino and Massa got together to play acoustic guitar.
After years of members coming and going from Bamm Hollow, Ulatowski, 27, joined five years ago as the bass player, and Gage, 32, joined six months ago as the drummer.
Bamm Hollow, named after the street in Red Bank that Massa used to live on, started like most local bands, playing at backyard parties, colleges, clubs and high school talent shows. The band got its first gig at the Deckhouse, Asbury Park, only a week after a performance at Middletown South High School’s talent show.
After that, Bamm Hollow started playing at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, and it wasn’t long before they were playing venues all over Monmouth County.
The band has opened up for musicians such as The Roots, Fountains of Wayne, Medeski Martin and Wood, and Robbie Krieger from the Doors.
With shows at venues in Monmouth County, New York City, Hoboken and Philadelphia under its belt, the band has played for a variety of audiences.
Massa said that when the band plays live he wants the audience to emotionally connect with his songs. He said he writes his lyrics the way he interprets life and that most of his songs are personal and autobiographical.
So more than anything, Massa said he wants an audience to get a feeling inside of themselves from what they hear. He said even when a crowd is not paying attention to Bamm Hollow’s performance, it makes the band members play better because they try harder to get the audience into their music.
Magrino said as long as one person is shaking their head to his music he’s happy.
Massa said the band members have had just as much fun playing for two people as they have had playing shows for 2,000 people.
“It’s all about the chemistry and the night itself,” he said.
Bamm Hollow fans range in age from about 18 to 35. Massa said he enjoys the younger fans because he wants to get them interested in the kind of music he likes.
Ulatowski and Magrino jokingly agreed that they like anyone who is willing to listen.
A genuine love for music is why the band has continued to play all these years.
Gage said what he loves most about the endeavor is connecting with people through music.
Ulatowski said, “Orchestration, harmony, dissonance and groove” are the things he enjoys the most.
Although each band member loves music, Massa said the business can be a difficult one.
“The most challenging thing is staying true to yourself and your music while trying to advance your career,” he said.
Massa said a person has to be dedicated and has to want and need music as a part of their life in order to really be successful. Success would be for the band to make a living playing music, touring and recording albums, he said.
“If we could all make the same money, we would do it as our day jobs,” Massa added.
Magrino said band members believe the reason they have not received a record deal yet is because they are not a mainstream band and because they will not conform to what producers are looking for.
Some suggestions for improvements the band members said they have heard is to add a female singer or a DJ.
“We’re not going to sign with a company that doesn’t want us for who we are,” Massa said.
Bamm Hollow is scheduled to play on Feb. 26 at the Cue and Brew, Aberdeen, and on March 4 at the Brighton Bar, Long Branch.